The man tasked with reviewing the flood that devastated Melbourne’s inner west has resigned from his role.

Melbourne Water confirmed Nick Wimbush would step aside as independent lead of the Maribyrnong flood review after it was revealed he was the chair of a Moonee Valley planning panel in 2015.

The Age newspaper reports Mr Wimbush was the sole person on the panel when Melbourne Water requested flood overlay changes for part of the Rivervue Retirement Village.

Dozens of those properties were inundated when the Maribyrnong River broke its banks in October last year.

Melbourne Water denies Mr Wimbush had to investigate or consider any submissions relating to the site in 2015, as it had already been resolved by the water body and Moonee Valley City Council.

But the organisation on Tuesday night confirmed it would appoint a new independent lead for the Maribyrnong flood review.

“Mr Wimbush’s appointment met all probity and appointment criteria and he was eminently qualified to undertake the role,” Melbourne Water said in a statement.

“This position was confirmed on review by an independent probity advisor before his appointment.”

Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the government must explain the conflict of interest surrounding the review.

“We’re concerned Melbourne Water, by its conduct to date, doesn’t seem to get how important it is that whoever looks into this is entirely independent,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“If he’s been appointed and removed so quickly, clearly there was a problem.”

Water Minister Harriet Shing defended the review, insisting it was independent and members of the panel were appointed separate of government.

“For me to make a running commentary on the review and the people involved with it would undermine the independence of that review,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

Public submissions for the review opened in January, three months after the river broke its banks and inundated more than 500 properties.

Emergency flood warnings and potential mitigation measures will not be assessed in the review, with the focus instead on the impact of the Flemington Racecourse levee and whether flood modelling should change.

Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell has called for a more intensive inquiry, saying the Melbourne Water review was too limited.

The Greens on Wednesday will introduce a motion to parliament’s upper house calling for the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into the Maribyrnong flood.

“The community are rightly outraged that the Labor government seems to want to sweep important questions about the flood under the carpet,” Ms Sandell said in a statement on Wednesday.

Ms Shing wouldn’t be drawn on whether Labor would support a concurrent parliamentary inquiry, saying she was yet to see the details of the proposal.

The opposition would back a full parliamentary inquiry, Mr Pesutto said.

– AAP